A golf ball of this nature is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,878,674. The golf ball described in this document comprises a solid spherical body made from a translucent material in which a diametrically extending continuous hole is formed. A light stick containing chemiluminescent material can be arranged in the hole. The light stick has two chambers which are separated from one another by a partition and contain chemical components of the chemiluminescent material. The light stick has to be activated before it is fitted. It is activated by bending the light stick manually until the partition breaks, after which the components can mix with one another. This results in a chemical reaction during which light is emitted, which then shines out through the golf ball.
A drawback of this known light-emitting golf ball that it is difficult to use. Positioning the light stick in the hole after activation causes problems. The light stick is small and flexible and, moreover, has to find a frictional fit in the recess. After the light stick has been fitted, it still has to be centered in the hole, for example with the aid of a golf tee. The light sticks are stored separately from the golf ball, and consequently there is a risk of the sticks breaking prematurely. The properties of the golf ball are not ideal. The golf ball is unstable owing to the lack of symmetry and the fact that the outer casing is not closed. During use, the light stick can slide out of the hole if the golf ball is hit very hard.